The present invention relates to a collapsible, ground-supported, manually transported carrier.
It may be desirable when traveling on foot in relatively remote areas, e.g., when hiking, hunting, cross-country skiing, etc., to possess a ground-supportable carrier, e.g., wheel-supported or runner-supported (i.e., a sled type of carrier), capable of supporting heavy loads. For example, such a carrier could serve to transport large game killed by a hunter, or as a stretcher for an injured person. The carrier should be collapsible to a compact state for easier handling when not in use.
Collapsible, ground-supportable, manually transportable carriers are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,314,293; 2,316,456; 2,667,996; and 3,104,116. It is desirable that such structures be easy to assemble and collapse while yet being strong and rugged when assembled. On the other hand, the structure should be as light-weight as possible in order to facilitate transport when not in use. Among the shortcomings presented by the prior art is an excessive number of components, including screws, bolts, nuts, etc., whose assembly is time consuming and difficult. Also, in order to provide the requisite strength, relatively thick parts may be employed which are too heavy and/or too large for being conveniently transported.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a collapsible, ground-supportable, manually transportable carrier which is strong, rugged, light in weight, and easy to assemble and collapse.